Illinois Benefit Access Program: $10 license plates and free transit rides

Who qualifies

The Benefit Access Program is run by the Illinois Department on Aging. You may qualify if all of these are true (Illinois Department on Aging):

• You live in Illinois.
• You’re 65 or older, or turning 65 this year, or you’re 16 or older and totally and permanently disabled.
• Your total gross income for the last tax year was below the limit for your household size.

The Department on Aging lists these income limits. A household can include you, your spouse and qualified additional residents, whose own income isn’t counted (Illinois Department on Aging):

• 1 person: under $33,562
• 2 people: under $44,533
• 3 people: under $55,500

If you’re married and live together, your spouse’s income counts toward the total. You don’t need to be a U.S. citizen, but you do need a Social Security number. If you’re applying based on a disability, proof can include an award from Social Security, the VA, Civil Service or Railroad Retirement, a Class 2 Illinois disability ID card, or a doctor’s form called Attachment A (Illinois Department on Aging). The limits can change, so check the official page before you apply.

Benefit 1: a $10 license plate sticker

Illinois law sets a reduced yearly registration fee of $10 for eligible drivers, in place of the regular fee. In some cases a spouse or surviving spouse can also qualify, and the reduced fee applies to one vehicle registration each year (625 ILCS 5/3-806.3). The regular fee for a standard passenger car is $148 plus $1 and $2 surcharges, or $151 total (625 ILCS 5/3-806). On the reduced fee, those surcharges aren’t charged (625 ILCS 5/3-806.3).

The $10 fee took effect on January 1, 2023, down from $24, under Public Act 102-0807 (Illinois Department on Aging). If you have vanity, personalized or special plates, the extra fees for those plates still apply (625 ILCS 5/3-806.3). The plate discount becomes active 10 business days after your Benefit Access approval (Illinois Department on Aging).

Benefit 2: Ride Free on CTA, Metra and Pace

In the Chicago area, the Ride Free program lets eligible older adults and people with disabilities ride CTA, Metra and Pace fixed-route service for free. You must be enrolled in the Benefit Access Program first. After you’re approved, you apply through the Northern Illinois Transit Authority’s Fare Programs Portal. NITA sends a renewal notice about two months before your Ride Free permit expires (NITA).

Don’t qualify for Ride Free? NITA’s Reduced Fare program is open to people 65 and older who aren’t eligible for Ride Free, people with disabilities and Medicare cardholders (NITA). If your household gets SNAP or the IDHS FRESH Program, the separate Access program offers reduced fares on CTA, Metra and Pace in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry and Will counties. CTA and Pace joined on October 1, 2026, and you can apply at GetAccess.org (NITA).

How to apply

• Apply online. The Department on Aging takes applications online only, with no paper form (Illinois Department on Aging).
• Have your information ready. You’ll need your Social Security number, your household income for the last tax year and, if it applies, proof of disability (Illinois Department on Aging).
• Check your status. You can check your application status 48 hours after you apply. Processing can take up to eight weeks (Illinois Department on Aging).
• Print your certificate. Once you’re approved, you can print a certificate of eligibility to take to your local transit agency or a Secretary of State office (Illinois Department on Aging). Outside the Chicago area, ask your local transit system about free rides, since it may have its own rules.
• Renew every two years. Eligibility lasts two years, and you can reapply starting 90 days before it ends (Illinois Department on Aging).

Need help applying? The Department on Aging says your local Area Agency on Aging or a Senior Health Assistance Program (SHAP) site can help. You can also call the Illinois Senior HelpLine at 1-800-252-8966 (Illinois Department on Aging).

Other Illinois savings to check

• Property taxes: see our guide to Illinois property tax exemptions.
• Heating bills: see heating bill help in Illinois.
• Medicare costs: compare plans during Medicare open enrollment.
• Phone bills: see our cheap phone plans guide.